BISWAJIT RESSURECTS 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA AT BREATHE

The long coastline of Odisha always brings some
culinary delight on our plates. Be it crustaceans, fish, crabs, Cephalopod aka squid, or Octopoda aka octopus, in Odisha, we have quite a variety of dishes
that are being made from these. But the creativity in Breathe by Biswajit, the seafood takes a different form here
reminding us the 20,000 leagues under
the Sea.

Engineer turned Chef, Mr Biswajit Maharathi adds
a twist to everything served at Breathe by Biswajit. A software
engineer now dons the toque, with a keen interest on Indian Cuisine. He has a
post graduation degree from Culinary Academy of India, Hyderabad. A diploma in
the bakery services a feather to his toque. A rich experience from Taj Vivanta
and Thailand. This place inspired him and made him fall head over heels with
seafood specially the variant and favours.

It’s always farm to plates at the
restaurant the waft of freshness is always there. Be it a gravy, or a sauce, or
tandoor- marinated food is cooked when you order and prepared ultra-fresh for
the ultimate treat to your taste buds. It is worth a wait!

Coming to what we
tried…

Tandoori Prawn

I can say I speak for almost all Indians that we
love tandoor dishes. Be it chicken, mutton, fish or prawn, when spices and the
char come together, our taste buds party! At Breathe by Biswajit, we tried tandoori prawns. This was nothing
like you’ll usually get at other outlets. With spices not making you run for
water and even coating of marinade throughout the prawn, you have the perfect
tandoor. Chef Biswajit paired Tandoori Prawns with peanut chutney and the
traditional mint-curd chutney. The peanut chutney added nuttiness to the prawns
and the mint chutney added the much-sought freshness. It can be called as the
Great Indian Seafood starter!

Whole Grilled Fish

We believe that our eyes feast first, then our taste
buds (and then souls, of course!). This dish is the very proof of this like.
Plated in a unique way and grilled to the right texture, this grilled fish will
return your love for seafood (in case you had lost it!). Bhetki fish is cleaned
and marinated with lemon, salt and pepper and then is grilled with a Breathe
secret marinade. Chef Biswajit paired the grilled fish with a lemon, garlic
butter sauce which elevated the freshness of the fish. This sauce had the
freshness of lemon juice and the punch of garlic-y butter with a hint of
rosemary. It’s truly a match made in heaven!

Smoked Octopus

This is probably one of the quirkiest dishes we
have tried! A silent prayer for Oswald the Octopus, but this one was really
delicious. Cleaned properly and cooked with the octopus head, this dish was
prepared in a Chinese style with mushrooms, veggies! The best part of this
dish, apart from the delicious and perfectly cooked octopus, is the smoke.
Smoked using Apple Cherry wood which they procure from the USA, added quite a
mellow and sweet flavour. Present in a cabbage bowl over a bamboo platter, you
can taste the ocean in your mouth

Squid Stir Fry

The squid wasn’t a preference of mine until I had
Fried Calamari earlier. Now, it’s a preferred choice, thanks for Breathe by Biswajit. The Squid was cut
in strips with a lattice style cut to curl the strands and sponge in a lot of
sauce. With the curled up squid strips, mushrooms, bell peppers, cherry
tomatoes and onions, this squid stir fry was phenomenal. With some oyster sauce
and soy sauce, there was a balance and added flavour to the squid which makes
it a stand out.

As Chef Biswajit believes, food should please
your eyes first and then raise the bar with the taste, his dishes definitely
kept the promise. With a welcoming and comforting ambience, it was appalling
for us to pick just one favourite in Breathe
By Biswajit. So, we picked a favourite dish and a sauce too. Tandoori
prawns brag the first place along with the Lemon, garlic butter sauce. My mouth
waters for these amazing dishes as I am writing about it. You have to try it to
believe it!